The hooded vulture is an Old World vulture in the order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the only member of the genus Necrosyrtes, which is sister to the larger Gyps genus, both of which are a part of the Aegypiinae subfamily of Old World vultures.
They too wait patiently for the daily, late morning ritual. Watching. Waiting. As soon as the first piece of meat is thrown into the air, they become a frenzied throng of blurring feathers. The vultures being feed at the Senegambia Hotel really is quite a sight and one well worth catching.
Though very common in The Gambia, the species is actually considered as critically endangered globally. In fact 9 out of the 11 species of vulture in Africa are “Red Listed” by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), either as Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered, and many regional populations face the immediate threat of extinction.
With its small head, narrow bill, scruffy looking dark brown feathers and red face, the hooded vulture is not the prettiest of birds but it is a fascinating bird to watch nevertheless and its wing span at 175cm is impressive. It is much smaller though, at a height of around 70cm, than some other vultures found in The Gambia including the Griffon and Lappet-Faced vultures.
Hooded Vultures are small vultures about 26 inches long. Females are larger than males. They are dark brown, have rather short, rounded tails and thin, weak beaks. The bare skin on their faces is reddish pink but may become bluish when the birds are excited.
Though common in The Gambia, the Hooded Vulture is considered critically endangered globally.
The vulture as an important and specialized scavenger in human societies, helps clean the environment and prevents diseases. However, plummeting populations across the globe in the last three decades has led to the classification of some species as endangered and critically endangered.
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